CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD Review - A Bottom Tier MCU Movie That Fails in Helping Fellow Bottom Tier MCU Films be Relevant
Brave New World's purpose is to try and help both THE INCREDIBLE HULK and ETERNALS films be more likable. But that's the problem in the first place was thinking two of the MCU's bottom feeder film releases needed help to try and become more relevant. That's on Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige for thinking any of the events in this movie needed to happen, because it did not.
Did we need a movie to help explain the Celestial Island in the middle of the ocean? Okay, sure. But the whole point of that explanation was to introduce adamantium into the MCU since it has been discovered on the island and countries want a piece of it. No doubt it will be an ongoing narrative as the MCU moves forward, but the introduction through this film feels pointless and the fact adamantium was found on the island should've been used in a much different approach.
Using THE INCREDIBLE HULK story thread of how former General, and now President, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is trying to win his daughter Betty Ross back from years of fallout over his decision to attack Bruce Banner's Hulk is an interesting little thread, but it literally has no real effect on the film or its story except twice when we learn how Ross wants to help make the country a better place as a means to show Betty he has changed. Then maybe he can reconnect with her once again.
Boring narrative choices as Brave New World has no clue what kind of movie it wants to be. It is devoid of pretty much all fun and humor and any attempts to bring humor face plant over and over again. This movie feels absolutely riskless and more like a filler episode of a television series than a well-crafted entry into the MCU movie universe.
This is not the fault of Mackie or Ford, both are bright spots in their respective roles, and this all falls on the decision makers, the writers (there were many as it's been reported there's been multiple rewrites), and the director (a relative new name who may have been too overwhelmed by the scale of a production like this). The story is flat and often boring. Sometimes it feels like it will be an interesting suspense thriller, but then it isn't and loses any of those feelings with the pacing off and quite dull at times.
The action in the movie is nothing eye-opening and very basic and averse to taking any risks or having any fun with action sequences. And you've seen the majority of the big action set pieces from the trailers and TV spots. Cap and Falcon take to the skies around the island and have some dogfighting moments with fighter jets. But no real spectacle to it at all.
Cap facing off with Red Hulk should have been kept a secret and revealed while in your theater seat, but it had to be spoiled in the marketing in order to try and sell this film to moviegoers. And once again, you've seen pretty much the entire fight and nothing is jaw-dropping from any of it.
The Leader is nothing more than the guy behind the scenes and in the shadows. But hey, at least he didn't get killed at the end so maybe a future movie can help make his villain character better down the road. Honestly, probably not as this movie doesn't do much for the MCU timeline or its future except to also tell viewers how a new Avengers team is needed and Sam Wilson is asked to help build its new roster. Duh.
End credits scene? Yeah there's one and it's one of the most pointless end credits scenes in the history of the MCU. You'll see it and be like, "Um, okay then."
All in all, it's nothing more than a sequel to THE INCREDIBLE HULK and ETERNALS nobody asked for. This is a one and done MCU viewing as there's nothing to gain from a rewatch.
Can we fast-forward to THUNDERBOLTS* now please? Hopefully, it'll be a good palate cleanser from this unneeded MCU movie entry.
Reviewed by Daniel Wolf, Founder and Editor-in-Chief
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